COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 2004 Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, at Morley Field in San Diego, Calif. The women's 6K race will begin at 9 a.m. PST, with the men's 8K at 10 a.m.

The women's race will feature 12th-ranked BYU and No. 24 Colorado State. The Cougars, favorites to capture their sixth consecutive conference crown, finished second in last year's national championship in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Individually, BYU returns last year's MWC championship runner-up Laura Turner, along with Rena Chesser and Suzanna Logan. Colorado State returns Michelle Carman, Crystal Clark and Colleen Blair from last year's second-place squad.

The men's race promises to be one of the best in the country as the Mountain West is one of only two conferences (Big Ten Conference) to feature four top-25 teams in its men's field. Defending conference champion Air Force (No. 12), four-time MWC champion BYU (No. 10), 17th-ranked Colorado State and 23rd-ranked New Mexico all have a shot at the 2004 crown. The race for the individual title is expected to go down to the wire as well, with seven of last year's top-10 finishers returning. Air Force's Ben Payne placed second in the 2004 race, while teammate Brian Dumm was fifth. Colorado State's Josh Glaab was sixth, while Air Force's Mark Walter was seventh and BYU's Matt Adams, Bryan Lindsay and Nathan Robison were eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.

Complete results can be accessed following the conclusion of the championships on the conference website (www.TheMWC.com) or by clicking on the link below: